Finding Home
by millythompson
Summary: Hours after the Big Fall. Knives and Vash find themselves wandering amongst the dead, trying to find somewhere they can call home. (Manga based - Final Edit - Part 2 of 3)
1. The Big Fall

Part 2 of 3 in the "Feathers and Gunsmoke Trilogy". Manga based, right after the Big Fall. Young Knives and Vash are characters copyrighted by Yasuhiro Nightow, I'm just borrowing! The rest are characters of my own design, I hope you grow to love them as much as I do! This is the "final edit" so I hope you all like it!!  
  
The Big Fall  
The stench of bodies, burnt corpses and blood permeated the air. Sleepers had crawled from their tombs, bodies blistered from the heat, leaving trails of blood and bones in their wake as they died. Others lay where the ships had thrown them, tossed aside like garbage. There were thousands of them, spread across the land in the deep gullies left by a ship as it crashed into the planet. The ship had broken apart upon impact, sending the sleeping passengers to their deaths before finally crashing against rocky cliffs and coming to a rest. Fires killed anything that remained within its hull.  
None of them had been able to put up a fight. It was a war-zone with no enemies, besides one, and he looked like a twelve-year-old boy. They had not been able to meet their killer. Instead, they had woken to a nightmare if they had woken at all. Many still lay within their sleep pods, dead, still dreaming of a new home they would never see. Their killer laughed triumphantly as he watched the fiery remains falling through the atmosphere. The first ships broke up as the planet's gravity pulled them down. As the last few ships fell towards the planet, their reverse thrusters started and slowed their decent.  
Of these last few ships, one housed the last hopes of the planet. Upon the ship were living creatures, housed in glass bulbs that held the ability to terraform an entire planet. This ship was to land safely, even as the others crashed, spilling their human contents upon the rocky soil. It was his plan, the mastermind behind the Big Fall, as it would come to be called. He wanted the creatures to survive because he was one of them, but free from the glass bulbs, free to overthrow the humans that used his people for their own selfish purposes.  
  
The War Zone  
  
The boy stared up into the dark sky the night his escape pod landed silently upon the sandy planet. Red streaks scarred the sky as the ships burned through the atmosphere. Dozens were destroyed even before they hit the ground. The blond boy lifted his arms in joyful praise of his own good work, and he laughed, even as a weeping came from behind him. He turned, his features black, then red, as another ship streaked through the sky. "Why are you crying, Vash?"  
A cry of pain shot up from a huddled figure on the ground and a single word rang through the night, "REM!!!!" As the word echoed off of the hills, a great ship fell through the night and colored the sky blood red as it fell, breaking apart as it crashed twenty miles away. When it came to a rest, the explosion could be seen for a hundred miles.  
Now the cries of the huddled figure stopped and eyes appeared of a young boy. He looked as the other did; they were twins, green eyes turning red as the bright ships passed overhead. Vash's chin quivered as he watched the billowing flames from the crashed ship. He didn't say a word, he didn't have to, it was over and done, and his brother had done it, he had killed them all, including their mother... "Rem..." Vash moaned, burying his head in his arms.  
"Shut up," the other said, his grin spreading as he pointed towards the ship. "Come on Vash, let's go see my handiwork." When his brother did not move, he grabbed Vash's arm and pulled him to his feet. "Come now, this will be brilliant."  
Vash pulled away, "No Knives... They're dead, all of them!"  
"And so is Rem. You don't have anywhere else to go, Vash. Come with me, or are you going to just sit here and cry yourself to death?" Knives sneered, picking up the bag Vash had carried out of the escape pod and thrust it at him. Vash clutched it to his chest like a teddy bear, and followed his brother reluctantly towards the ship.  
  
It was daybreak when they found the war-zone. The bodies scattered with bits of metal from the ships. Bodies were burned, broken, bruised, bloody, and starting to smell already underneath the suns... Humans had never lived upon a planet with multiple suns, had they? As one sun rose, another smaller one followed behind. As the heat of the day rose, so did the smell.  
There were survivors... Vash could see them moving in between the dead and his heart leapt with joy. People who were awake! There had only been three people in his life, Knives, Rem, and William Conrad. Never in his life had he seen so many! But even as he watched, he realized that they were going through the remains, scavenging like crows. He shivered in horror as he saw them turning over bodies, throwing aside appendages, searching for precious items. As they found what they were looking for, they would shove the items into pockets and continue on to the next body. They moaned from broken bones and lost appendages. Even though they were alive, this place would never be anything more than a graveyard. It was a place of death and eternal suffering. These people weren't alive... They were merely moving vessels, waiting for their turn to go to heaven, or hell.  
Vash dropped to his knees, and tears came to them. He shook with fear. Had he been wrong about the humans all along? Had Knives been right? Rem, what is going on? These people aren't happy, they aren't living, and they're dying... Weren't these the people you wanted us to live with, to grow old with, to die with? These are...  
"Garbage, they're garbage," Knives pulled Vash back to his feet as he snickered. "Miserable humans..." Then he raised his arms above his head as he had done the previous night and said, "Ah, but isn't this planet full of possibilities? Once they're dead we'll be able to remake it our own."  
Vash looked at his brother in contempt. It had been less than twelve hours that they had been on the miserable planet, and with every passing moment they would find more of the dead... And Knives was growing ever more cheerful. Vash could only help but think of Rem. Her death had been so recent... He could still see the ship breaking apart in the atmosphere whenever he closed his eyes. Vash squeezed back tears and Knives gave him a weary look. "Are you crying again?" Knives waved towards the bloodied landscape. "They're humans. They would have died eventually. I just helped them along."  
"Don't talk to me," Vash responded as he walked down the hill through the field of corpses. Rem... Are you here, Rem? I know this wasn't our ship, but... Vash forced himself to look at the faces, waiting with horrified breath to find his lost adopted mother. Was there another group like this, somewhere else on the planet where Rem was? Was she lying dead without anyone to mourn for her? He choked, coughed, and tried not to cry as Knives walked in prideful silence next to him.  
"They all die the same, don't they?" Knives pointed out as they passed all ages: children and adults, grandparents and even the occasional pet. "Doesn't matter what they looked like, where they came from, what species they were..." He toed a cat that a corpse held in its arms, "They all died. But we won't die, will we Vash?"  
"She died," Vash said, turning to look at his twin. Knives knew whom he was talking about, their birth mother... Something about her death had started all of this long before they had found out about Tessla. "And we'll die too. It's just a matter of time. If Rem were here, she'd say we should go find the survivors, see if there are any who aren't..." Vash nodded towards the scavengers and his heart dropped, "Like this."  
"They are all like this, Vash," Knives snarled. "Humans only care about themselves. They don't care about the 'greater good' or whatever it is that Rem filled your head with. Don't you remember? Rem helped the scientists kill Tessla... They scavenged around her looking for something they could use just like them." He pointed at the humans, and then pulled his twin off through the bodies, holding his other hand over his nose as they went. "They stink just like the garbage they are!"  
"You killed them... What do you expect?" Vash growled, and pulled away to walk by himself. The walk was nearly excruciating, forever wandering through blood and death. The field of bodies spread nearly as far as the eye could see. "This ship must have been the first one traveling behind the mother ship, the thrusters didn't have time help its decent like the others," he murmured, trying to avoid thinking about the horrible site that was burning its way into his mind. It made him sick to see them, but if he stopped, he knew Knives would force him to look at them... This is the payback for Tessla, blood for blood.  
  
So many dead, so many people, paying such a dear cost in order to find a new place to live after their Earth had been destroyed. Vash sighed, trying not to breathe through his nose in a desperate attempt to separate the vision of the dead with their scent. Knives lead him through the field of bodies. For hours they wandered as if looking for something. When they saw someone still moving, Knives would pass them in silence, pretending almost as if they were dead. Vash shuddered each time he was forced to move on when he knew he could save them. This would remain in his mind forever. The bodies of women and children that had caught fire, desperately clinging to one another as they died... Families huddled together bleeding, dead now, bodies slumped together, faces grim in death, eyes staring at the sky. He was unable to help even one.  
But then from one such pile, Vash heard a child crying. At first he thought it was his imagination, and he looked towards Knives who didn't seem to hear it. But as they walked, Vash's eyes widened when he became sure that the crying came from under pile of bodies. Vash stared at the burnt corpses in disbelief before he said, "Hello? Are you in there?"  
Suddenly the crying stopped and a young voice said, "Help me!"  
No longer did the corpses bother Vash, he dug down beneath the dead clutching at the dead, flinging them away to reveal an eight-year-old girl. She looked up at Vash and Knives, squinting in the sunlight, rubbing her eyes, tears formed little streaks of mud down her face. Vash looked at her in awe. She was just like the little girl they had seen in the sleep chamber! Only her hair was blond and tightly curled around her face. He leaned towards her, pulling his bag off his shoulder to grab his first aid kit. "Are you okay?"  
The little girl sniffed and clutched at her left arm, "This hurts a lot." She looked at the bodies around her, "Aunty... Uncle Robert..." She stifled a choked sob and looked back at Vash, "My arm hurts so much."  
Vash nodded and put a tentative hand over her arm, squeezing gently. He confirmed what he had already thought; it was broken. The arm was limp; the bone had broken in half. Reaching into the medi kit, he fished out bandages. This is what you would do right Rem? Behind him he heard Knives snort, "We need those... Vash."  
"Not as much as she does," he pulled up the little girl's sleeve and started to wrap her arm. "What is your name?" He asked, trying to keep her mind off the pain, and from her family members, as they lay un-stirring on the ground around them.  
"Helen," she replied. "What's yours?"  
"Vash," and he nodded over his shoulder, "And he is my brother, Knives."  
The little girl giggled, "That's a funny name."  
"Yours is too," Knives replied, and Vash could almost swear he'd seen his brother's lips curl into a smile for a split second. He shook off the thought, Must be a trick of the light.  
"Well, it wasn't funny on Earth. It was my mom's name. She was very beautiful."  
Vash finished wrapping her arm and stood up. "Where was your mom, the last time you saw her?" He frowned, hoping she wasn't amongst the piled bodies, as he knew Rem might be, somewhere out there.  
The little girl sniffed and managed to stand as well. "On Earth. She was going to have a baby, so she couldn't go..." Helen's eyes filled with tears. "Where are we? This isn't Earth, it isn't Second Earth either... There are no trees, no water... Only dead people..." Her eyes widened as she realized they were still standing amongst the bodies. With a sudden move, Helen grabbed Vash around the waist and started to cry.  
Knives grunted behind them, "We have to go, Vash."  
"Yes," Vash replied and set his hand on Helen's shoulder. "Helen, let's get out of here and go to the ship. Maybe someone there will recognize you."  
"We are not going to the ship!" Knives protested. "There are humans everywhere. I don't want to be near them... We have to find the plants..." His words fell on deaf ears as Vash took Helen's right hand and started to lead her towards what remained of the smoking ship. Knives grumbled silently, following ten steps behind. "I'm not going to help the brat..." Vash glanced at him over his shoulder and then looked down at Helen. Humans were so funny when they cried... It was almost as if they were laughing. Just like you, Rem. Her eyes were still filled with tears as they walked; occasionally she sniffled as they walked through the corpses. "Whiny brat..." Knives grumbled, kicking a stone into the back of Vash's leg.  
Vash startled with the pain, and Helen looked up at him. He smiled, it was a hollow smile, covering up the urges he had to turn around and choke his brother to death. Helen was so cheerful and she smiled back as if they had always been the best of friends. Vash could hear Knives' complaints as they went and he hoped that they wouldn't scare Helen. She was so sweet and small. Bless her; she was strong enough to keep up a fast enough pace that they were able to get out of the war-zone and away from the smell.  
When they were far from the bodies, Helen tugged at Vash's hand. He looked down at her with the same smile he'd been wearing for the last few hours. "Vash... I want to go home." The smile faded from his face as he looked at her. She'd been such a trouper, but now he could see that it was all just a façade. After all, she was just a little girl.  
"We'll find you a new home, okay?" Vash said as he stopped walking and squatted down beside her. Knives came up short behind them and put his foot on Vash's back, threatening to tip him over, but Vash pushed back. "Stop it Knives. You should know what it feels like to want to find home, right?"  
Knives frowned and turned away, "We'll make our own... Don't need a stupid girl in our way..." He wandered off towards the ship alone and Vash turned to Helen again. She was on the verge of crying again.  
"What was your old home like?" Vash stood up again and they continued to walk, even as Helen started in the longest description of Earth he had ever heard in his entire life. Rem had rarely spoken of Earth. She had not wanted to be there where Alex had died. If she had to be alone anywhere, it might as well have been somewhere she could do some good. But she never talked about life before.  
After awhile Helen ran out of things to talk about, and she eventually said, "Do you really think that we can find a new home for me?" He envied her... Helen had a definition for home. She knew what it was like and what she wanted it to be. Vash had never truly felt at home anywhere, and he wondered if he ever would.  
"Yes, I think we well. We'll find it. As long as you search long enough, okay? I won't give up as long as you don't." He nodded as Helen smiled for the first time since she laughed at Knives' name. Then she did something peculiar and held up her little pinky to him. Vash bit his lip, "Um..."  
"Promise?" Helen held her pinky up higher until she squirreled up her face and grabbed Vash's hand, "Pinky promise me that I'll find a place to call home again, right?"  
Vash nodded, "I promise," and she looped her pinky around his and with a little shake they continued on after Knives. 


	2. The Ship

Final Edit. Characters copywrited by Nightow... Etc.  
  
The Big Fall  
The stench of bodies, burnt corpses and blood permeated the air. Sleepers had crawled from their tombs, bodies blistered from the heat, leaving trails of blood and bones in their wake as they died. Others lay where the ships had thrown them, tossed aside like garbage. There were thousands of them, spread across the land in the deep gullies left by a ship as it crashed into the planet. The ship had broken apart upon impact, sending the sleeping passengers to their deaths before finally crashing against rocky cliffs and coming to a rest. Fires killed anything that remained within its hull.  
None of them had been able to put up a fight. It was a war-zone with no enemies, besides one, and he looked like a twelve-year-old boy. They had not been able to meet their killer. Instead, they had woken to a nightmare if they had woken at all. Many still lay within their sleep pods, dead, still dreaming of a new home they would never see. Their killer laughed triumphantly as he watched the fiery remains falling through the atmosphere. The first ships broke up as the planet's gravity pulled them down. As the last few ships fell towards the planet, their reverse thrusters started and slowed their decent.  
Of these last few ships, one housed the last hopes of the planet. Upon the ship were living creatures, housed in glass bulbs that held the ability to terraform an entire planet. This ship was to land safely, even as the others crashed, spilling their human contents upon the rocky soil. It was his plan, the mastermind behind the Big Fall, as it would come to be called. He wanted the creatures to survive because he was one of them, but free from the glass bulbs, free to overthrow the humans that used his people for their own selfish purposes.  
  
The War Zone  
  
The boy stared up into the dark sky the night his escape pod landed silently upon the sandy planet. Red streaks scarred the sky as the ships burned through the atmosphere. Dozens were destroyed even before they hit the ground. The blond boy lifted his arms in joyful praise of his own good work, and he laughed, even as a weeping came from behind him. He turned, his features black, then red, as another ship streaked through the sky. "Why are you crying, Vash?"  
A cry of pain shot up from a huddled figure on the ground and a single word rang through the night, "REM!!!!" As the word echoed off of the hills, a great ship fell through the night and colored the sky blood red as it fell, breaking apart as it crashed twenty miles away. When it came to a rest, the explosion could be seen for a hundred miles.  
Now the cries of the huddled figure stopped and eyes appeared of a young boy. He looked as the other did; they were twins, green eyes turning red as the bright ships passed overhead. Vash's chin quivered as he watched the billowing flames from the crashed ship. He didn't say a word, he didn't have to, it was over and done, and his brother had done it, he had killed them all, including their mother... "Rem..." Vash moaned, burying his head in his arms.  
"Shut up," the other said, his grin spreading as he pointed towards the ship. "Come on Vash, let's go see my handiwork." When his brother did not move, he grabbed Vash's arm and pulled him to his feet. "Come now, this will be brilliant."  
Vash pulled away, "No Knives... They're dead, all of them!"  
"And so is Rem. You don't have anywhere else to go, Vash. Come with me, or are you going to just sit here and cry yourself to death?" Knives sneered, picking up the bag Vash had carried out of the escape pod and thrust it at him. Vash clutched it to his chest like a teddy bear, and followed his brother reluctantly towards the ship.  
  
It was daybreak when they found the war-zone. The bodies scattered with bits of metal from the ships. Bodies were burned, broken, bruised, bloody, and starting to smell already underneath the suns... Humans had never lived upon a planet with multiple suns, had they? As one sun rose, another smaller one followed behind. As the heat of the day rose, so did the smell.  
There were survivors... Vash could see them moving in between the dead and his heart leapt with joy. People who were awake! There had only been three people in his life, Knives, Rem, and William Conrad. Never in his life had he seen so many! But even as he watched, he realized that they were going through the remains, scavenging like crows. He shivered in horror as he saw them turning over bodies, throwing aside appendages, searching for precious items. As they found what they were looking for, they would shove the items into pockets and continue on to the next body. They moaned from broken bones and lost appendages. Even though they were alive, this place would never be anything more than a graveyard. It was a place of death and eternal suffering. These people weren't alive... They were merely moving vessels, waiting for their turn to go to heaven, or hell.  
Vash dropped to his knees, and tears came to them. He shook with fear. Had he been wrong about the humans all along? Had Knives been right? Rem, what is going on? These people aren't happy, they aren't living, and they're dying... Weren't these the people you wanted us to live with, to grow old with, to die with? These are...  
"Garbage, they're garbage," Knives pulled Vash back to his feet as he snickered. "Miserable humans..." Then he raised his arms above his head as he had done the previous night and said, "Ah, but isn't this planet full of possibilities? Once they're dead we'll be able to remake it our own."  
Vash looked at his brother in contempt. It had been less than twelve hours that they had been on the miserable planet, and with every passing moment they would find more of the dead... And Knives was growing ever more cheerful. Vash could only help but think of Rem. Her death had been so recent... He could still see the ship breaking apart in the atmosphere whenever he closed his eyes. Vash squeezed back tears and Knives gave him a weary look. "Are you crying again?" Knives waved towards the bloodied landscape. "They're humans. They would have died eventually. I just helped them along."  
"Don't talk to me," Vash responded as he walked down the hill through the field of corpses. Rem... Are you here, Rem? I know this wasn't our ship, but... Vash forced himself to look at the faces, waiting with horrified breath to find his lost adopted mother. Was there another group like this, somewhere else on the planet where Rem was? Was she lying dead without anyone to mourn for her? He choked, coughed, and tried not to cry as Knives walked in prideful silence next to him.  
"They all die the same, don't they?" Knives pointed out as they passed all ages: children and adults, grandparents and even the occasional pet. "Doesn't matter what they looked like, where they came from, what species they were..." He toed a cat that a corpse held in its arms, "They all died. But we won't die, will we Vash?"  
"She died," Vash said, turning to look at his twin. Knives knew whom he was talking about, their birth mother... Something about her death had started all of this long before they had found out about Tessla. "And we'll die too. It's just a matter of time. If Rem were here, she'd say we should go find the survivors, see if there are any who aren't..." Vash nodded towards the scavengers and his heart dropped, "Like this."  
"They are all like this, Vash," Knives snarled. "Humans only care about themselves. They don't care about the 'greater good' or whatever it is that Rem filled your head with. Don't you remember? Rem helped the scientists kill Tessla... They scavenged around her looking for something they could use just like them." He pointed at the humans, and then pulled his twin off through the bodies, holding his other hand over his nose as they went. "They stink just like the garbage they are!"  
"You killed them... What do you expect?" Vash growled, and pulled away to walk by himself. The walk was nearly excruciating, forever wandering through blood and death. The field of bodies spread nearly as far as the eye could see. "This ship must have been the first one traveling behind the mother ship, the thrusters didn't have time help its decent like the others," he murmured, trying to avoid thinking about the horrible site that was burning its way into his mind. It made him sick to see them, but if he stopped, he knew Knives would force him to look at them... This is the payback for Tessla, blood for blood.  
  
So many dead, so many people, paying such a dear cost in order to find a new place to live after their Earth had been destroyed. Vash sighed, trying not to breathe through his nose in a desperate attempt to separate the vision of the dead with their scent. Knives lead him through the field of bodies. For hours they wandered as if looking for something. When they saw someone still moving, Knives would pass them in silence, pretending almost as if they were dead. Vash shuddered each time he was forced to move on when he knew he could save them. This would remain in his mind forever. The bodies of women and children that had caught fire, desperately clinging to one another as they died... Families huddled together bleeding, dead now, bodies slumped together, faces grim in death, eyes staring at the sky. He was unable to help even one.  
But then from one such pile, Vash heard a child crying. At first he thought it was his imagination, and he looked towards Knives who didn't seem to hear it. But as they walked, Vash's eyes widened when he became sure that the crying came from under pile of bodies. Vash stared at the burnt corpses in disbelief before he said, "Hello? Are you in there?"  
Suddenly the crying stopped and a young voice said, "Help me!"  
No longer did the corpses bother Vash, he dug down beneath the dead clutching at the dead, flinging them away to reveal an eight-year-old girl. She looked up at Vash and Knives, squinting in the sunlight, rubbing her eyes, tears formed little streaks of mud down her face. Vash looked at her in awe. She was just like the little girl they had seen in the sleep chamber! Only her hair was blond and tightly curled around her face. He leaned towards her, pulling his bag off his shoulder to grab his first aid kit. "Are you okay?"  
The little girl sniffed and clutched at her left arm, "This hurts a lot." She looked at the bodies around her, "Aunty... Uncle Robert..." She stifled a choked sob and looked back at Vash, "My arm hurts so much."  
Vash nodded and put a tentative hand over her arm, squeezing gently. He confirmed what he had already thought; it was broken. The arm was limp; the bone had broken in half. Reaching into the medi kit, he fished out bandages. This is what you would do right Rem? Behind him he heard Knives snort, "We need those... Vash."  
"Not as much as she does," he pulled up the little girl's sleeve and started to wrap her arm. "What is your name?" He asked, trying to keep her mind off the pain, and from her family members, as they lay un-stirring on the ground around them.  
"Helen," she replied. "What's yours?"  
"Vash," and he nodded over his shoulder, "And he is my brother, Knives."  
The little girl giggled, "That's a funny name."  
"Yours is too," Knives replied, and Vash could almost swear he'd seen his brother's lips curl into a smile for a split second. He shook off the thought, Must be a trick of the light.  
"Well, it wasn't funny on Earth. It was my mom's name. She was very beautiful."  
Vash finished wrapping her arm and stood up. "Where was your mom, the last time you saw her?" He frowned, hoping she wasn't amongst the piled bodies, as he knew Rem might be, somewhere out there.  
The little girl sniffed and managed to stand as well. "On Earth. She was going to have a baby, so she couldn't go..." Helen's eyes filled with tears. "Where are we? This isn't Earth, it isn't Second Earth either... There are no trees, no water... Only dead people..." Her eyes widened as she realized they were still standing amongst the bodies. With a sudden move, Helen grabbed Vash around the waist and started to cry.  
Knives grunted behind them, "We have to go, Vash."  
"Yes," Vash replied and set his hand on Helen's shoulder. "Helen, let's get out of here and go to the ship. Maybe someone there will recognize you."  
"We are not going to the ship!" Knives protested. "There are humans everywhere. I don't want to be near them... We have to find the plants..." His words fell on deaf ears as Vash took Helen's right hand and started to lead her towards what remained of the smoking ship. Knives grumbled silently, following ten steps behind. "I'm not going to help the brat..." Vash glanced at him over his shoulder and then looked down at Helen. Humans were so funny when they cried... It was almost as if they were laughing. Just like you, Rem. Her eyes were still filled with tears as they walked; occasionally she sniffled as they walked through the corpses. "Whiny brat..." Knives grumbled, kicking a stone into the back of Vash's leg.  
Vash startled with the pain, and Helen looked up at him. He smiled, it was a hollow smile, covering up the urges he had to turn around and choke his brother to death. Helen was so cheerful and she smiled back as if they had always been the best of friends. Vash could hear Knives' complaints as they went and he hoped that they wouldn't scare Helen. She was so sweet and small. Bless her; she was strong enough to keep up a fast enough pace that they were able to get out of the war-zone and away from the smell.  
When they were far from the bodies, Helen tugged at Vash's hand. He looked down at her with the same smile he'd been wearing for the last few hours. "Vash... I want to go home." The smile faded from his face as he looked at her. She'd been such a trouper, but now he could see that it was all just a façade. After all, she was just a little girl.  
"We'll find you a new home, okay?" Vash said as he stopped walking and squatted down beside her. Knives came up short behind them and put his foot on Vash's back, threatening to tip him over, but Vash pushed back. "Stop it Knives. You should know what it feels like to want to find home, right?"  
Knives frowned and turned away, "We'll make our own... Don't need a stupid girl in our way..." He wandered off towards the ship alone and Vash turned to Helen again. She was on the verge of crying again.  
"What was your old home like?" Vash stood up again and they continued to walk, even as Helen started in the longest description of Earth he had ever heard in his entire life. Rem had rarely spoken of Earth. She had not wanted to be there where Alex had died. If she had to be alone anywhere, it might as well have been somewhere she could do some good. But she never talked about life before.  
After awhile Helen ran out of things to talk about, and she eventually said, "Do you really think that we can find a new home for me?" He envied her... Helen had a definition for home. She knew what it was like and what she wanted it to be. Vash had never truly felt at home anywhere, and he wondered if he ever would.  
"Yes, I think we well. We'll find it. As long as you search long enough, okay? I won't give up as long as you don't." He nodded as Helen smiled for the first time since she laughed at Knives' name. Then she did something peculiar and held up her little pinky to him. Vash bit his lip, "Um..."  
"Promise?" Helen held her pinky up higher until she squirreled up her face and grabbed Vash's hand, "Pinky promise me that I'll find a place to call home again, right?"  
Vash nodded, "I promise," and she looped her pinky around his and with a little shake they continued on after Knives. 


	3. In the Desert

Final Edit. Oh yes, thanks to everyone for the reviews! You've been very helpful!  
  
The Desert Planet  
  
The field of the dead spread out behind Knives as he sat up against an outcropping of stone. The thermal blanket from the pack was spread behind him as he stared at the ship. Humans. There were thousands of them still living, breathing, moving around... His breath came out in a hiss; the humans would have been silent still in their cold sleep pods, unmoving, very nearly dead. Was this so much better? Now they were alive. The program had failed thanks to Rem's meddling... Rem had taught him everything he knew; of course she would be able to override the malfunctioning. He had wanted her to come with them, if only to keep her from saving the others... If she had only been a moment sooner, Rem might have saved them all. But it had been too late for most of them.  
Knives' raised his head as he heard voices. A group of men were headed towards the crash zone. From the distance, Knives could tell that they carried tools. He collected his things and slipped behind the rock he had been sitting against. Knives frowned, watching them with reluctant curiosity. Probably searching the dead like the other vultures.  
As they came closer one of the men made a disgusted noise and covered his face with his hand. He didn't speak, only reached into his pocket for a handkerchief and wrapped it around his face. The other men followed suit and silently passed by Knives' hiding place.  
As they went down the hill, Knives watched them. He'd seen the videos of war on the computer. Men had killed men joyfully, gunfire and bullets taking the lives of so many without hesitation. What the videos had never shown was what they did afterwards. The men disappeared over a hill and Knives left his things to follow them.  
The men remained silent as they reached the first charred human remains. "There really isn't a way to ID them, is there?" One man said in barely a whisper.  
"If the ship's plant was operating properly the computers might have had some data..." Another responded, setting the tip of a long flat piece of metal he had found on the ground. "Without power we can't even tell how the ship crashed... Or who these people are. If our mayor, Mr. Hodges had been able to come with us he might have known..." He bowed his head; "We'll just have to honor them with a decent burial."  
The other men bowed their heads as well as a third man stepped forward. He crossed himself and started to pray. Knives slipped out of hearing as he headed back to his hiding place. It didn't make sense... These humans had been so eager to tear Tessla to pieces, but at the same time they would care for those that were dead, even if they didn't know who they were? He frowned, thoughts tracking across his head. How could they be so two-faced? And didn't they say plant? That was the first thing on their mind, using the plant so they could live...  
Knives growled and left the men to their digging. He didn't want to be around them anymore. He wasn't human, and he never would be. The humans only cared about themselves. They would never accept him... Not if they knew what he did, what he tried to do, what he still wanted to do... Knives spit the dust from his mouth and looked up towards the ship. He shouldn't have let Vash go off. His brother would only grow to love those humans more if he spent any time with them. Dammit.  
  
The Makeshift Orphanage  
  
Aunt Margaret led Vash to her makeshift orphanage. There were children everywhere. Many had bandaged arms and heads wrapped with gauze. There were two other women with crosses drawn on their shirts tending to the children. Each one waved to Margaret as she walked by, before returning to their charges. A little girl and boy ran by playing tag, "You're it Stevie!" The girl yelled as she managed to corner the boy against the escape pod.  
The little boy turned and ran after the girl, "Zoë! No fair, the ship was free!" They ran past again and Vash watched them in utter astonishment. He wanted to ask Margaret what was going on, what it meant by the ship being "free," or just what they were doing at all. But as he opened his mouth to speak, he realized it would give him away. Probably every child on Earth knew what the game was... He sighed, knowing that he would never even see Earth. But he promised himself he'd learn how to play games someday.  
Nearby, Helen sat in front of one of the nurses. It looked to Vash that the clean bandages confused her. She picked at them and looked up at Helen, "Who wrapped this?" Vash came up to her without a word and unwrapped Helen's arm, to the nurse's shocked amazement.  
"It's a clean break, I think," he said to the woman who watched him with wide eyes. "It needs to be set however, and I didn't have any anesthesia. The escape pod I came in wasn't fully stocked. I'm afraid there were only basic medical supplies." Vash set the bag he had down on the stone where Helen sat and pulled out his medi-kit. "You can have what's left, if it will help get the medicine."  
The woman started to sputter when Margaret placed an arm on her shoulder, "Listen to him Rebecca, I think they might have retrieved something from the medical bay on the ship, go see if you can find anything to numb her arm." She winked at Vash and Rebecca went to retrieve what she could. Then Margaret's expression turned serious, "You might have to do it without medicine, however. There are a lot of injuries more grave than Helen's arm."  
Glancing up at Vash, Helen gave him a grim smile, "Will it hurt?"  
"No, not once we have the anesthesia..." Vash noted Helen's confusion and added, "It's medicine that makes all the pain go away." He glanced over to Margaret who nodded in agreement. Helen smiled bravely and put her hand gently on her broken arm. It was obvious to Vash that it had been hurting a lot more than she had let on before. He was amazed out how brave she was. Helen had managed through so much without fuss, silently taking what was given to her... The crash, her aunt and uncle, and now her arm... So much strength! Vash wondered what he would have done if he had gone through the same. Would he be as strong as this little girl before him? He hoped so. I'll be brave too, even if it means hiding it behind a smile.  
When Rebecca returned with an electronic syringe, the second nurse was with her. This woman had dark curly hair. She looked at Vash in muted curiosity. "I had to trade off the entire medi-kit but I got it, Margaret. Although I'm not sure when you learned to set broken bones... Only Doc Thorne..." She trailed off, and Vash knew the doctor had not been amongst the survivors. Margaret took the e-syringe and handed it to Vash.  
Both nurses gaped at them. "What are you doing?!" Rebecca gasped.  
"He was studying to be a doctor under his father..." Margaret bit her lip. Vash looked at her, obviously she didn't like lying either. But with her "feeling" about people, he was sure she had to do it often. There wasn't anything he could do about it at the moment, at least not until Helen's arm was healed again.  
Turning back to Helen, anesthesia in hand, Vash swallowed. Even though he knew the basics to the procedure, he'd never really set a broken arm. He thought back to when he hurt Rem. The blood had been horrifying. She would have died if he had done nothing. Somehow he managed to drag her to the medical bay, pull her onto one of the operating tables and sew up her wounds. The instructions had been on the computers in the room; there were extensive journals detailing every medical condition known on Earth. Vash had spent hours reading through them while Rem and Knives lay unconscious. He had promised himself never to hurt anyone unless he was prepared for the consequences of sewing them up again. That meant making sure he knew how. Unfortunately, most of what he had read had already started to slide out of his head. Vash wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to remember what he'd learned without having the computers to help him.  
Vash set his fingers on Helen's arm, "This won't hurt a bit," he pressed the e-syringe to her arm and pressed the trigger. There was a small puff of air and after a moment Helen's face brightened. "See, what did I tell you?" Vash smiled, handed the syringe to Margaret, and ran his fingers over Helen's arm. "Do you feel anything?"  
Helen shook her head, "Nope."  
"Good." Vash closed his eyes a minute as he felt her arm. Without an x-ray there really was no way to tell if the break had been clean. But the break was all the way through; it was amazing Helen hadn't passed out with the pain of it flopping around. With a breath, he opened his eyes again and pulled the bones back into place. Helen looked on with interest, not feeling anything as Vash waved towards the dark haired nurse. "I need something to splint and wrap it in."  
The two nurses looked at him in quiet awe before nodding and both scrambling away to retrieve the requested items. As they did, Margaret put a tentative hand on Helen's arm. "You did a good job. I was right about you after all."  
"It still might not heal right," Vash said, stepping back, his hands shaking suddenly. He crossed his arms in front of himself, confused at his body's reaction to his relief. Rem... They're shaking like I hurt her, but I didn't right, I helped her, didn't I?  
Margaret reached out for his arms and took his hands in her own, calming his shaking, "I think you're more hurt than you admitted." She nodded towards the escape pod, "There are empty sleeping hammocks inside. Maybe you should take a nap before I take you to see the engineers. We can handle wrapping Helen's arm on our own."  
Vash pulled away from her, "I'll be fine Aunt Margaret," he said, putting his hands under his armpits, trying to steady their shaking. The last time he shook like this was after he stabbed Rem... Vash shivered. "I already told you I couldn't stay here very long. You fulfilled your promise, so now I'll fulfill mine. Take me to see the engineers."  
"At least eat..." Margaret said slowly, her eyes sad as she looked at Vash. She nodded to the other children, "Come now, you've got to be hungry."  
  
Vash's eyes moved from her to the remains of the ship. The truth was, he didn't really want to go in there. He didn't want to be anywhere near the plants or the technology that Knives had used against them. When he turned to Margaret again, a smile had crept over his face, "I guess so. Got any donuts?" 


	4. Reluctant Angel

Final Edit. To all my readers: thank you for letting Vash you his story!  
  
Reluctant Angel  
  
The fires had burned themselves out in the last hours of the day. Fuel cells were exhausted, the ship's main engines had exploded upon impact, and only secondary cells had remained to burn. The majority of the ship had been made of metal, and many of the impact doors had remained closed to the fires that burned through the ship. Vash noted that the ship had been set up very similarly to his own. The plant chamber had been in the front of the ship just behind the bridge, followed by the cold sleep chamber, and the geo plant domes and engine room. The geo plants had been destroyed with the engines, the cold sleep chamber split open and scattered over the desert. The bridge and plant chamber remained fairly intact as they lay against the cliffs at a low angle.  
He tried not to frown as Margaret led him up to the ship. He hadn't seen the plants since Rem had locked up the chamber nearly two months before. If it had been up to Vash, he never would have gone then either. Vash knew he couldn't take back the past, it was over, and as they came up to the monstrous broken vessel, he wondered how much he could help without giving away what he was.  
Would they accept him if they knew he was a plant? What would they do if he talked to the plants as Knives' did? No... Vash bit his lip as they came to group of people milling about the base of the ship. He was human. He didn't know any more than a human would... The past was over. The future was ahead of him, and it meant finding someone to accept him as a human. Isn't that what you wanted me to do, Rem?  
"Hey Aunt Margaret!" A man called from the ship. He waved a hand towards them as they walked up. The man wore a blue jump suit, scavenged most likely from the escape pods. "What are you doing away from the children? We haven't found anything new yet, most everything burned up in the fires."  
"I figured it wasn't safe to come here until now. But I thought I would bring you a visitor, Jeremy," Margaret responded, nodding to Vash. "Although it would have been nice if you'd had news about the water generators."  
Jeremy looked Vash over, nodded to him, and said, "Not until we get at least one plant functional. So, who's this visitor you've brought? What's your name, Kid?"  
"Vash, sir."  
The man laughed, "No 'sirs' here, Vash! Those of us survivors are family now, even if we don't all speak the same language." He nodded towards the various groups who sat around the base of the ship. Some of them sat in stunned silence, others in cheerful conversation, and each in different languages that drifted towards Vash. He could understand a few of them thanks to Rem, and he was grateful for such a good teacher.  
"So, what can you do, kid?"  
Vash turned towards Jeremy again and shrugged. "Not much I'm afraid."  
"I had a feeling about him," Margaret said, winking at Jeremy.  
He nodded, "Oh! Well then, you aren't telling me everything. Where did you come from? You weren't on our ship. I knew every face before we left. I have a memory like an elephant."  
"Elephant?"  
Jeremy shrugged, "I guess they might have been before your time. They went extinct, what would you say Margaret, 2240?"  
"Maybe."  
"So where did you come from, Vash?"  
Vash looked up towards the ship. It was so huge. He'd lived in one his entire life, and Vash had never seen it from the outside. The word SEEDS was painted along its hull, still visible even after the crash. The suns were setting now, and the last rays of light fell upon the word as if they were spotlights. Lights came on as portable searchlights were found. The engineers situated them upon the escape pods scattered around the area. Over the back of the ship, two of the moons had risen. They were crescent shaped, late in the month no doubt. The two adults followed his gaze and Margaret said, "Wow, look at that, two moons!"  
"There are five altogether," Vash murmured. He wasn't as interested in the moons as he was the ship. He'd seen the moons from space and they weren't all that spectacular. Moments went by as the two adults gazed at them in wonder, murmuring their amazement. Vash's gaze fell on Jeremy; his face was like a little child, although when the man lowered his eyes to Vash, he looked his age again.  
"You don't look all that surprised by the moons," he remarked.  
"I've seen them before, from up there." Vash pointed up towards the sky, and then continued to explain. "I was aboard the mother ship when the ships' guidance systems malfunctioned. There were three of us altogether... My brother and I... Rem... Only I escaped."  
"Children? Awake?" Jeremy frowned, his expression hardening as he looked to Margaret. She shrugged. Just as Vash had supposed, she hadn't known the rules for the flight rotation. Unfortunately, it seemed that Jeremy did know the rules. Vash hurried to explain, wanting to alleviate the tension of the moment.  
"My mother, Rem Saverem... She woke my brother and I... To keep her company during her five years awake." The words felt foreign on his tongue. Vash had lied more times in the last twelve hours than he had in his entire life. It felt wrong somehow, but under the circumstances... Rem had told him that when they arrived on the planet they would be human, and their past would be erased. Vash's past was what he made it now... They might not have believed him anyway.  
Jeremy nodded, "A guidance system error eh? Our ship wasn't the only one that crashed, was it?" Vash nodded and the man closed his eyes a moment in a silent prayer and opened them again. "Well, while you were awake on the ship, did you ever learn about the plant systems?"  
"Not really," Vash replied truthfully. "All I know is that they are living systems... If they don't have any energy input, there won't be output. Just like we need food to live." He grimaced. Why did I have to say that? But even though you knew what we were, you still wanted me to know, right Rem? Everything...except what they were exactly, what we were exactly. You should have left me in the dark, Rem. Then maybe I could have pretended to be human longer.  
"Even that might be a help. Come with me I'll take you to see the other engineers," Jeremy said, waving his hand towards Vash. "Margaret, get back to your children. I'll bring him back when we're finished." Vash glanced towards Margaret as she turned and disappeared back towards the orphanage.  
Vash followed Jeremy into the hull of the ship. It was oddly familiar, so similar to the ship he had just abandoned a day ago. He kept thinking that at any moment he would see Rem's smiling face around the corner... But he knew this wasn't the same ship, and it tilted at an angle as it lay on the cliffs where it had crashed. The walk wasn't a hard one, but they did have to hold onto the rails as they walked into the plant chamber.  
Jeremy passed the first row of plants. The first five globes had shattered. Their contents had burned upon impact. Only two of the last set of five still remained intact. Vash looked up at the plants in sheltered disgust. They were still alive; he could sense them moving within the glass, even in the darkened room. Underneath the dark globes were men dressed similarly to Jeremy, pulling wires from the walls, trying to search for broken connections. "Hey guys, I've brought us a little whiz kid, his name's Vash."  
The men turned to look at Vash. Their expressions were shadowed in the darkened room. Only a few lights lined the chamber, and most of them were aimed towards the wires. "Jeremy, I know we're desperate but, a kid?"  
"He already knows about the energy exchange principle. He might notice something that will help us wake up our reluctant angels."  
"How's that?" A man asked from the shadows.  
"Vash was awake when the guidance systems malfunctioned... You were on the mother ship right?" He looked down at Vash who nodded. "Thought so. Only the crème de la crème were on that ship: the rich and the smart. Plus, Margaret had a feeling about him."  
"I'll trust Margaret's word," another man said, and came into the light. He smiled at Vash. "I'm Gary Thompson, her husband. So, you know about the plants eh? How do we wake these girls up?"  
Vash looked up at the nearest plant and a shiver went over his spine. "They're awake. But they won't move until they've been fed." He waved a hand at the plant, "They were made to survive just about anything as long as the glass remains unbroken. They give me the creeps. Man should not have made them to outlive... us..."  
"They're an important source of power, however," another man interjected. He too stepped into the light, "Name's Bernard. If you know anything that will help us, it will save a lot of people. If we can't get them running again than we'll die on this planet, just like they are dying on Earth. What use was the SEEDS project then?" He tapped the glass of the plant, "You in there? We'll open this thing up and shake you awake..."  
With a sigh, Vash walked the rest of the way up towards the men and came into the light. He looked at the wires. "Is there any power going into her?"  
Bernard looked down at him and shook his head. "Don't you think we'd already thought of that?" The man's expression grew dark. "You think we're stupid or something, Mr. Whiz Kid?"  
"No, I'm sorry," Vash said. "I told you I didn't know that much... I guess the emergency systems were destroyed too?"  
"They were the first things we checked," Gary replied hastily before Bernard could open his mouth. Already the big man had his fists balled and his face was growing red. "We worked on the backup systems on the ship. None of it is functional... We thought the plants might give us enough power to charge them up again. If we can get even one of them to work we can get the backup systems online again. We wouldn't even need her for long."  
"How long would you need her?" Vash's aqua eyes scanned the hazy globe as it hung five feet away from him. From this close he could feel the emotions broiling over the plant. She wasn't happy. Her food source had been cut off and she was dying. Fear and hatred seeped out of the glass and over Vash. It felt very similar to Knives, Vash realized. He suddenly wanted to get away from her, from the ship, and back out into the air and back to Helen. Her laughter had made him forget for a moment what he was. She had also brought on a small change to Knives. Now, the longer he stayed away from Knives, the longer his brother would have to think on how to destroy the survivors. Goosebumps rippled down Vash's spine and his arms started to shake again. He put his hands under his armpits again and looked towards the men, awaiting an answer.  
"Five minutes, tops. The connections are already secure. We just need a jump start," Gary said. His brows furrowed, "Are you telling me you know how, Vash?"  
Vash nodded slowly. At least he was pretty sure he did, even if he wasn't going to like it. He looked over Jeremy and the others. They were all in the light now, looking at him with curious expressions. These human beings needed his help. They were like him, trapped on this planet with the dead spread around on the ground. The survivors would number with them within a month's time if they didn't get the plants moving. But if they knew what he was... Knives had told him once that they would have to work at becoming their friends. It would take time, but Vash knew he had to try. Someone would have to know what he was someday. He wouldn't be able to hide it forever, not if he wanted to help them survive... His real mother had wanted it so.  
"I can do it, but don't ask me how, okay?" Vash walked the final steps towards the plant, lifting one hand within inches of the smooth glass. He turned his head to look at the men, "It shouldn't take me long. Be ready when the lights come up, okay?" His eyes caught Bernard's for split second and Vash could remember another thing Knives had said to him, 'They aren't all like Rem.' This man... He hates me already, doesn't he Rem? It's because I know more than him, isn't it? Rem, help me.  
The men stood without moving, but Jeremy clapped his hands together, drawing their attention away from the boy. "Come on men, get in positions." He waved his workers off to their places and turned to Vash. "Okay, Vash. Do whatever it is you're going to do..."  
Vash nodded and set his fingertips against the cool glass. The plant's emotions rolled over him like a flood. If she had more power she would have screamed as her sisters had upon Vash's ship. Her silence was caused by her weakness. Slowly, Vash raised his other hand towards the glass as well; Knives would kill me if he knew what I was doing... He set his cheek up against the glass and whispered, "Wake up, Sister."  
There was a flutter within the glass. Wings brushed the base of the globe. It sounded like the feather duster Rem used to clean the glass container she kept her geranium in. It was nearly too quiet to hear, a faint swishing sound. The men in the room closed their mouths in rapt attention. Vash doubted they knew what the plants looked like within the smoke-hazed globes. Rem has described them once when he was very young as angels. Their wings and appendages looked liked seraphim and cherubim had fallen from heaven in a twisted mess and men had shoved them within the globes like goldfish. Their bodies were vaguely feminine, but the extra appendages and feathers made them appear freakish.  
No matter how many times Knives reminded him they were born from one of these creatures, Vash couldn't bring himself to accept it. But even as the plant within awoke, Vash knew it was because he was one of these creatures that he could talk her to life. This was the only thing that connected him to the plants. They were different in every other way. His eyes closed even as he felt the plant's hands upon the other side of the glass, making the connection. She was so hungry... He would have to give her his own energy, and he wasn't even sure how. Even Knives had never tapped into the energy they held within them as the other plants. There had been proof within Tessla's files that they had a power core... If Knives ever learned how to use that core...  
Vash's eyes fluttered open. The lights had come on in the room. The entire chamber lit up, even to the farthest corners. Men scrambled past him yelling at one another, making the final connections, and starting the emergency back-up systems. "Whoa," Jeremy stood behind him in wonder for one last moment before running to his own tasks. Vash's aqua eyes looked up into the blank eyes of the plant angel. She was smiling. The emotions that came from her were now of contentment and satisfaction. He hadn't even done anything! At least... He didn't think he had...  
"You're never going to believe this!" Bernard said as he ran past. "The ship's systems are all activated! There are emergency signals coming from all over the planet. I think we might have even found the plant ship." The men all clapped their hands, staring at Vash in rapt wonder, even as Bernard looked at him suspiciously.  
With a sigh, Vash slipped his hands off of the glass and turned away from the plant. She slid back into the hazy globe, but did not shut down again. Her emotions woke the second plant and they chattered between each other indistinguishably. Vash closed his hands into fists and willed the sound to stop. He'd spoiled them... They were rotten spoiled children... The engineers would undoubtedly treat them with white gloves from then on. The plants would outlive them, and the next generation would do the same.  
With a grim smile, Vash's eyes blurred. He turned to look at Jeremy and suddenly felt dizzy. Someone shouted, and Vash's world went dark. 


	5. Lights in the Dark

Final Edit. To all my readers: Knives gets to have more fun than before...  
  
Lights in the Dark  
  
The ship's lights could be seen miles away. Knives swore every word he'd picked up from the videos and stood, watching the ship's lights brighten to full power. How? How did they get it to run again? There had only been a few scientists upon each ship, right? Had the scientists survived this ship's crash? He balled up his fists, wishing he had something to kill... They were using his sisters... Now that he ship was operating it would be only a short time before they could start building homes.  
Already the crew that had gone out into the war zone had walked past to investigate the lights. They spoke of building a city with the survivors, making this planet their second home. They talked about naming it New Orlando, after the place they had left. Knives knew they were too far away from Earth to send a distress signal. There was no one to come to their aid. If all of the ships managed to do as this one had, especially if they found the plant ship... It would only be a matter of time before they would spread over the planet. The humans were a disease... They would destroy this planet as they had their own, and in the years to come they would migrate to other planets...  
"No!!" Knives screamed, his voice echoing under the three risen moons. He bent down and gathered his belongings, slinging his bag upon his back as he finished. He would find Vash now. They had to find the plant ship before the humans did. It was the only way he would be able to stop them. With a snarl, Knives jumped down the hill where he had camped and headed towards the ship.  
The darkness swallowed up the vast graveyard, the bodies that lay unburied, and the unending desert. It also swallowed up the distance. Knives could feel it on his feet, but he could not see it. Even the length of the ship had never been this far. He didn't tire, but he felt the gravity. He also felt a worry, like one he'd never felt before.  
What if these people accepted Vash? If he came to love them as much as he'd loved Rem there was no telling what Vash would do. They were twins, but the truth was, Knives really wasn't sure if he knew Vash at all. How could he forgive the humans? How could he forgive those that murdered Tessla so easily? How could he forgive them?  
Knives clutched his fists as he walked. Why wouldn't Vash forgive him? They were brothers, but all of Vash's affections had been for Rem... And those damn humans.  
He could see the lights ahead, spread across the land. Spotlights were situated over the dark land in little groups. The light didn't spread very far; they looked like a reflection of the stars. This land was so unlike home, foreign in all its parts. Knives wished to return to the sky, to the places he knew, the recreation room where the geo plant produced life, to the long hallways, and the angels in the glass globes.  
But it would be a long time before that could happen. He had to find Vash first. His brother had been to the ship. He'd coaxed the plants to life somehow, and Knives hoped he'd still be there. Vash had been hiding something from him this whole time, hadn't he? The humans couldn't have done this alone... He didn't want to speak to the humans... Every thing about them made him quiver in hatred. They would be destroyed to the very last one, until the species were completely forgotten. Then maybe it would make up for just a fraction of what they had done to the plants.  
Skirting the various camps, Knives made his way to the ship. The lights were bright, never dimming. The power given them was perfect. No emergency generator could produce that kind of power. Only the plants... Only those perfect beings, only his sisters could produce such a power to allow the SEEDS ship across the space and the far reaches of the galaxy.  
Knives looked up at the outside of the ship. He'd seen these before, from space, but never up close. Never was he able to read the word SEEDS so clearly as now. The sight brought awe to imagine that his people, even just one, could power such a great thing. Ten of them in each ship, unable to die, would have taken them to places unimaginable.  
He closed his eyes. Again he wondered if he had done the right thing. Not only had the humans died, but also many of his sisters... Like the ones in this ship that were quiet.  
He slid in past two men playing cards nearby, into the ship itself. Voices still carried through the darkness although many of the humans had long since gone to sleep. The plants that had survived were chatting with each other. They didn't speak words, more like feelings. The other globes were broken and blackened. Knives bowed his head in regret and went to the nearest one. She was surprised at his approach, grateful that he had filled her stomach, and Knives pulled away in shock. Obviously she had mistaken him for his brother, but how did Vash do what this plant claimed? Vash hates them, their very existence... Doesn't he?  
Voices caused Knives to retreat. He could hear men speaking to one another even as he hid in a dark corner untouched by the ship's lights. "I don't know what he did, Bernard, but it sure is a miracle, isn't it? He saved us all."  
"I don't trust it, Jeremy. That kid was strange the moment he showed up. He was in the mother ship... That says it all, doesn't it? We almost didn't get everyone on the ship because of those people. My son Jack nearly got left behind because of their arrogance and selfishness..." The two men stopped to look up at the plant, and Knives watched them suspiciously.  
"Vash wasn't like those people..." Jeremy sighed, "He doesn't really seem human at all, how he talked the plant to life again. I saw it all, Bernard, and I don't know anyone who could have done that." He paused, looking at Bernard. "But that does not mean he's evil. He helped us, and it took a lot out of him."  
"The others in the hospital are scared of him," Bernard replied. "They moved everyone out of his room when we told them what he did."  
Jeremy waved his hand and started to walk away, closer to Knives who shrunk further into hiding. "Then they are fools. He's just a boy."  
"A freak, if you ask me... And the others think so too." Bernard came up to Jeremy, hands in fists. "He can't stay here. If you don't make him leave, then I will."  
"But he's the only one who knows anything about the plants!"  
Bernard frowned, "We'll find someone else. Already we've made contact with the plant ship. They'll send someone within the month." He turned away and headed for the door. "Get rid of him, before he does something else with whatever powers he possesses... Like killing the rest of us."  
He stormed out of the room even as Jeremy whispered, "He didn't... Did he?"  
Knives watched the older man disappear through the opposite door towards the outside. The humans were all alike, weren't they? Suspicious by nature and killers at heart. All they cared about were themselves. Even when Vash had helped them, they were still fearful of him; enough to stab him in the back.  
"Besides," Knives said as he came out of hiding to look at the plants, "Vash wouldn't harm them. But I would." Maybe Vash would have to wait. His brother would find out what the humans thought of him soon enough. This Bernard was a problem. Something had to be done. "I have to protect him, right?"  
But first... He had to find the medical bay. The supplies Vash had used on the little human would already set them behind. They were too important. Knives came from hiding and took another look at the plants. "I'll free you someday." Then he nodded to himself and wandered after the man Bernard and deeper into the ship.  
  
The night was draining away as Knives searched through the medical bay. He'd followed Bernard in silence until he'd joined up with other humans. There were too many, and they were too large, for Knives to deal with. He retreated to his first task.  
Humans had been here. They had torn apart shelves, had ripped open drawers and had scavenged for anything they found useful. But Knives had a distinct advantage over them. He knew where the emergency kits were kept. Humans would overlook the precious items, but Knives knew better. Rem had taught him every inch of his ship and he had memorized everything. There wasn't anything he didn't know how to fix, or to take apart and make better.  
"Ah, here it is," Knives said as he pulled open a compartment in the floor. Stored in the hidden compartment were all of the necessary supplies for an anti-gravity surgery. The supplies had been packaged tightly to avoid contamination and needless floating in case they lost gravity during flight.  
He pulled it from hiding and opened the casing. Needles, syringes, bandages, medicine, and knives... "Aren't you beautiful?" Knives pulled a long steel blade from its casing to look at. "You must be for sawing off dead limbs, aren't you?" He ran his fingers slightly over the shiny stainless steel, and then smiled. "You'll do." 


	6. Home is Where

Final Edit. FYI – this story was originally titled "The Darkness". Read on to find out why... "It's fun to play with Knives...."  
  
Home is Where...  
  
Voices spoke in whispers. Giggling children, stocking feet padding up and down the metal floors. The sounds echoed from time to time and a familiar voice made its way into Vash's head. It sounded... Tessla. One green eye opened and looked up at a metal ceiling. He was in the ship. The ship, had it been a dream? Was he still dreaming? Rem, where are you? The room was dimly lit, and the voices retreated as he realized that he was not in familiar surroundings.  
Still, there was one little voice that came to him. It came from his right side, and Vash's other eye opened slowly as he rolled over on his side to look at the speaker, afraid that it came from a ghost. How many times had he seen that fragment of Tessla since the day he and Knives had found her remains? He knew Knives saw her in his dreams; he would speak her name in the night. They rarely mentioned her since, but she forever remained in their minds. His heart beat as he turned to look at who was talking.  
Helen sat on a chair by his bed. She seemed to be talking to herself. The little girl hadn't noticed that Vash was awake yet, her attention focused on a little round scrap of metal that was in her hands. It was bright and shiny, and as Vash was pretty sure it was a coin of some sort. "My mom gave me this dollar when she put me in the sleep chamber. She told me that as long as I had it nothing ever would happen to me. You know Vash, she said that I could use it to buy a doll when we got to Second Earth, and that they'd call the money Double Dollars..." Helen closed her eyes, "But what happened to Mom? And my little brother? Are they okay? Why couldn't she have let me stay with her?"  
"She wanted you to be safe," Vash said slowly, trying not to startle her.  
The little girl's eyes turned to Vash, "Oh! You're okay!" She stood up suddenly and grabbed Vash around his neck giving him a choking hug. He coughed and tried to sit up, pulling Helen with him. She pulled away after a moment and tucked her coin away in her pocket. "I just don't understand. I want to go home! I want to be home where my mom and my baby brother are..." Tears formed in her blue eyes and Vash set a hand on her head.  
"I know. We'll make a new home, remember?" Vash closed his eyes, "But you'll have to tell me how because I've never even had a home." Helen looked at him, slightly confused, but Vash opened his eyes and smiled. He didn't dare get into the line of questioning she would probably pose to him... Not if that meant having someone overhear where he had come from. As it was... What had happened after he had restored the power to the plants? Were they angry with him? Would they be scared? He was just glad that Helen was with him now, and that so far, nothing horrible had happened to either one of them. "Where are we, Helen?"  
"The hospital," Helen said, as looked around the room. "Aunt Margaret said she'd come back in a little while to see how you were doing. I told her that I'd stay here to talk to you."  
"I'm glad you did," Vash replied, ruffling her hair. He withdrew his hand and set it on the back of his head, realizing that it was throbbing. "What happened to me?"  
Helen shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I should go get Aunt Margaret..." She gave Vash an inquiring look and then without an answer ran out of the room. Vash held out a hand, about to tell her to stop, but it was too late. Even though her arm was still broken, she still had full use of her legs! He smiled to himself and lay back on the bed. You would have loved her, Rem. She's just like you.  
Scanning the room, Vash took in his surroundings. This 'hospital' as Helen had called it was another escape pod. They must have salvaged a few of them to use as different buildings. However, other than Vash it was empty, and most of the escape pods only had one or two rooms max. Either everyone had been taken care of, 'Or they're scared of me after all.' Vash frowned, sitting up again and looking down at his hands. "How did I do that? Did I really do anything at all? The plant was so hungry... And then she wasn't..."  
"I'd like to know the same thing," a male voice said from the doorway. Vash looked up, dropping his hands to his knees and watching as Jeremy came into the room. He didn't seem to be angry, but he was a bit wary of coming too close to Vash. The man stopped a few feet back. "Are you feeling okay? You fainted after that stunt and have been out all night."  
"It's morning?" Vash's eyes widened. If it were morning than surely Knives would have left... Or come looking for him! He started to scramble from the bed, but his aching head throbbed and Jeremy reached out and set a hand on Vash's chest.  
"Wait one second. You have quite a bump on your head from when you fainted. Wherever it is that you think you need to go, first you're going to have to do some explaining. My men are confused and want to know just what you did last night." His fear of Vash had evaporated and he sat down on the bed. "Just what aren't you telling us?"  
Vash's eyes became unfocused. Would he accept him like Mr. Conrad had? Would Jeremy even understand what he was? He didn't look Jeremy in the eye when he said, "I don't think you'd believe that I'm an angel, would you?"  
"Maybe," Jeremy closed his eyes, "I would like to, but I know that's not the truth. After the fall... I'm not sure anyone believes in God anymore." He shook his head, "No, we survived, so that has to account for something. But not for you... What are you really?" Jeremy looked towards Vash with a weary expression.  
"I'm a plant, just like ones in the glass bulbs," Vash looked up at Jeremy. "My brother and I were born on the ship and Rem found us. She raised us as her own children. I'm not any different than you, but I can talk to them... I didn't really know how to help her, so I just thought talking to her might bring her back to life... I didn't do anything else, really." He lowered his head; "I wouldn't blame you if you were scared... I wish I wasn't what I am. Please, you can't tell anyone. I'll leave... I have to leave."  
Jeremy ran a hand through his hair, "Whew boy, I think the angel story makes more sense. Although, it would explain why you could do what you did..." He nodded to himself. "I promise I won't tell anyone. I'm not sure I believe it myself, and I'm sure no one else will." His eyes focused on Vash who finally looked at Jeremy, amazed that the man was accepting his story. One down, thousands to go. "You're probably right in wanting to leave... Already people are whispering about you. I've been telling them you're just a smart boy, but you were on the mother ship which means to them you are high society."  
Vash frowned, "I didn't know..."  
"Each ship was set up differently. The mother ship had the majority of the politicians and many of the people who could buy their way into the SEEDs project bought spots on that ship. Our town had worked for years to collect enough money to send everyone on the ship. So many people were left behind because there weren't enough spots... I was mayor of the town and I couldn't save everyone." Jeremy closed his eyes, "I guess I still can't. We're going to have to rebuild our town, step by step."  
The man stood after a moment and turned to look at Vash once again. Vash opened his mouth, but he couldn't think of anything to say. It wouldn't change anything, no matter what he said at this point, he was afraid. Jeremy filled the silence for him, "We'll take care of Helen. You don't have to worry about that. The Thompson's have already offered to take care of her. Little Eric really likes her." He smiled. "Maybe you can find the people who were on your ship. I wish you could stay here in New Orlando..."  
"I understand," Vash said after a moment. He managed to get to his feet and followed Jeremy out of the escape pod and out into the sunlight. The light reminded Vash of Knives and his eyes searched the crowd trying to find his brother. Where was he? Was he still waiting, or had he left to find the plant ship on his own? Words suddenly came to Vash's mind, "I think we might have even found the plant ship." Hadn't Bernard said someone had found the ship? Vash frowned, he wouldn't tell Knives he just couldn't. If Knives knew that the plants were under the control of humans he'd go in and slaughter them all... Vash shivered.  
"Hey Vash!" Helen came running and grabbed his hand, tugging at it urgently. "I'm glad you're okay! You have to come and play with Eric and me! We're going to go and explore the cliffs and see if we can find anything we can use. The other kids are coming too!" She started to tug at Vash's hand but he pulled away. Helen looked up at him in concern. "What's wrong?"  
Vash looked down at Helen and smiled, but he was afraid it didn't look that sincere. He could see Jeremy frowning out of the corner of his eye. The children had accepted him, but the adults would be much harder. Already he knew he had lost this round. "I have to go Helen." He squatted down to look at her face-to-face and whispered, "Knives is waiting for me."  
"No he isn't!" Helen said, "He's been playing with me!" She bounced on her toes and Vash grabbed her shoulders, his eyes urgently flicking over to Jeremy. "He came to the orphanage last night and told us about all of the treasures that are up in the cliffs behind the ship."  
Standing straight again, Vash looked at her in concerned horror, "What do you mean?"  
"He's already gone with Stevie, Jack and Zoë up to the cliffs, they went treasure hunting. Eric is waiting for us at the orphanage so we can go with them!" Helen grabbed Vash's hand again. "Come on Vash, let's go play."  
"Who are you talking about?" Jeremy asked, now interested in the conversation.  
"My brother," Vash replied. "He's..."  
"He's going to show us treasures!" Helen insisted, tugging at him again.  
"Dangerous..." Vash finished, and turned to follow Helen.  
Jeremy grabbed Vash's shoulder, "What do you mean by dangerous? I thought you said only you escaped... He... He's with my son, Stevie."  
Vash's eyes widened as he looked at the older man. Jeremy had every right to be frightened for his son. "Come with us," he said finally. "I might need your help." Suddenly Vash was pulling Helen along and Jeremy followed behind them. They dashed into the orphanage and Margaret looked up at them, startled. "Where did the others go? What direction?" He scanned the escape pod and grabbed his belongings, and threw them over his shoulder.  
Eric jumped up from his seat on the floor, "You two took too long! What's the old man doing here?" He looked up at Jeremy, "No grown-ups!" The little boy frowned, and under normal circumstances, Vash figured that most children never played with adults. He thought it was strange, Rem had always played with them.  
"I need to talk to Stevie," Jeremy said. "Will you take us there?"  
The little boy kept his eyes narrowed, stuck his hands in his pockets and said, "Okay, come on, I'll show you." He skipped out the door and past Vash and Helen. When he'd gotten out into the sunshine he broke into a run and the others followed behind. "Come on guys, it's not far really, but you can see the whole valley from there!"  
As they ran, Vash's mind swam with horror. What would Knives do if he were alone with them? He wouldn't just leave them alone would he? Had something changed? Had he gotten his brother back? For a short time Knives had seemed happy to play with Helen. But at the same time he had continued to say bad things to her... And then he'd hit her. Vash could still see that scared look on Helen's face as she lay on the ground. Knives had looked at her with such hatred in his eyes...  
Vash ran past them, his legs longer than Eric and Helen's, but Jeremy kept pace easily. He had to get to them. If anything had happened to them... His hands closed into fists as he ran. Knives would pay for leaving even a scratch on those kids. Just one... He knew already that he would not be able to stay with them... The humans were already afraid of him. But if Knives did anything, Jeremy would make sure they would never be able to return to New Orlando. Never. Jeremy said he remembered every face, and he knew his was now included.  
"What would your brother do?" Jeremy asked as they ran. "You said he's like you, right? That would mean..." Jeremy stopped running and Vash turned to look at him. Something had occurred to the mayor of the town, and Vash breathed, his eyes flashing towards Helen and Eric. The two children were playing tag behind them, zigzagging through the rocks. "He was awake on the mother ship too, wasn't he?"  
"Yes," Vash admitted, his gaze flicking over his shoulder towards the cliffs. There was movement on the top, and his heart skipped a beat. He could still see four figures moving along the ridge. The last of them was taller than the rest. He turned to look back at Jeremy, "There isn't time to tell you everything. I just want to get to him..."  
Before Vash could turn to resume their run, Jeremy grabbed his arms. "Did he cause all of this?"  
"Yes."  
Jeremy let go of Vash and didn't say a word. It was obvious that this conversation would never go beyond the two of them. He nodded after a moment and headed towards the children once again. Vash followed behind, his eyes on the silhouette of Knives upon the hill. There was no turning back now. Nothing he could say or do could change the past. He could not bring the dead to life, could not return the ships to space, and could not turn back time. Someone knew... Vash felt relieved that he no longer had to share the secret, but at the same time, it pained him to know that he had no idea how to stop it from happening again. What would Jeremy do to Knives?  
Closer. They were closer now. He could see Knives up on the hill clearly now. His brother smiled. He lifted a hand to wave at Vash, and the other children waved as well. Jeremy huffed beside Vash, "Stevie!" He called, "Stevie! Can I talk to you for a minute?" He waved his arms towards his son, even as Knives turned to look at the children beside him.  
  
Vash's eyes widened, he was still too far away, the cliff was steep this high up, he had to climb. Jeremy's reach allowed him to scale the cliffs easily, and his son was already heading down towards him. Above, Jack and Zoë still stood looking down on them. "Knives!" Vash called, his eyes barely leaving his brother as he tried to climb.  
Knives looked down at his brother. "Hey Vash. I wanted to give you something." His expression grew dark as he turned to Jack. "A present." Suddenly Knives lashed out, grabbed Jack around his arms and flung him towards Vash. The boy screamed as he lost his balance and fell.  
"No!" Jeremy and Vash scrambled on the rocks, but they were too far away from the boy as he fell. Rocks flew in all directions as Jeremy slid down the cliff after Jack who bounced once, then landed in a heap at the bottom. Blood pooled around him, and his neck was bent at an odd angle.  
Vash screamed even as the other children started to bawl. Eyes wide in horror, Vash scrambled up the cliff, and threw himself into Knives. The twins toppled to the ground and two wide-eyed children stared at them. Zoë scrambled back in horror, going down the cliff after Stevie who started to call after his father. Vash slammed a fist into Knives' face. His brother started to laugh and flung Vash off of him. "KNIVES!" Vash screamed, pulling himself out of the dirt, his eyes darting between the dead boy and his brother.  
Knives' body shook with laughter. "They'll die, they all will! Even if I have to do it with my bare hands!" He tried to stand but Vash screamed and threw himself at his brother again. He pulled his fist back to hit Knives, but he couldn't this time.  
Knives wiped away the blood that was trickling out of his nose from the first punch. "What are you doing Vash? You should be attacking them, not me." His eyes turned, wild, towards the group at the bottom of the hill. Helen and Eric had joined them as Jeremy lifted the dead boy into his arms. "I should have killed the girl in the desert. There were too many witnesses this time." Knives pushed Vash away and he stood. "I'll kill you all..." He said to the others. From within his space suit he produced a long shiny object, and Vash's eyes went wide.  
"Where did you get that, Knives?"  
His brother laughed, brandishing the knife he had found in the remains of the medical bay. It was already covered in blood... "It's fitting, isn't it, Vash?" Knives ran his finger down the blade's edge and the blood rolled down his hand and dripped onto the ground. "You always wondered why Rem named me Knives, didn't you, Brother? You're too stupid to figure things out on your own." He watched the blood roll down his arm even as he continued to walk towards Jeremy and the group of children that huddled around him. They were all too afraid to move, even Jeremy.  
"She caught me playing in the kitchen drawer as soon as I could walk..." The boy continued, his piercing green eyes lifting to look at the group of humans. "'They're knives,' she said, and locked the drawer. Rem couldn't come up with a name for me as fast as she had you... You were always her favorite, but she gave me a better name." He laughed, holding his bloodied hand for the children to see. "That's why it's fun to play with Knives."  
"I won't let you hurt them!" Vash scrambled to stop his brother from going down the hill towards the others, every last breath intent on stopping him from killing another. If anyone knew what horror it was to run another person through with a knife, it was he. Vash had done it before, he had smelled the metallic scent of the blood as it had poured from Rem's stomach, and had laughed at the joy it had brought him. But it had also caused him unspeakable pain... The darkness of that event curled up into his stomach even as he lunged for Knives and for the knife he held.  
"What? You want to stop me? You didn't come to stop me last night... Now father and son are together in hell." Knives sliced the blade in the air in front of him; blood splattered Vash's face and ran down his cheek like tears. "If anyone knew the true use of a knife, it would be you. Do you want the honors? I'll give it to you if you run that little girl through with it." He smiled, turning the knife so that he could hold it by the blade. "Take it Vash." Vash reached out for the blade, pulling it out of Knives' hand in one quick motion and his brother cringed at the deep cut it left in his palm. "What... What did you do that for?"  
Vash's eyes narrowed, the blood drying black on his cheek in the hot suns. "I'll stop this Knives. Right now."  
"You want to kill me? No... You couldn't." Knives' eyes went wide and crazy. "You couldn't even let the plants you hate so much die... I know what you did in the ship, even if I'm not sure how." He laughed, "You're a freak, Vash! You aren't human! You don't want to be what you are! No one is ever going to accept you Vash... Except me." He held out his hand. "Just give me back the knife and we'll be that much closer to making our paradise."  
"We don't have to kill them! One at a time, we just have to keep trying... Someday they'll accept us. And someday we'll have paradise... With them."  
Shaking his head, Knives started to reach out for the knife, but Vash landed a fist into his cheek. Knives reeled backwards. "You're attacking the wrong person!"  
"You won't hurt them, Knives. I won't let you." Vash turned his eyes to Jeremy. He looked down at the bloodied knife, and with a sound deep in his throat, he hurled it out into the desert. "I'm sorry it had to be this way," he said, looking at the children. "Please go... I promise never to come to this town again... Go home!!!"  
"Like hell you won't," Knives said in anger behind him. He reached out for Vash and pushed his brother to the dirt. "We'll be back, and we'll kill every one of you!!" Knives waved his blood-covered hands at them and then wiped them down his own face. Fingers made streaks down his face, causing him to look even more sadistic than even his eyes and smile.  
Jeremy opened his mouth to speak as Knives came towards him, but he couldn't talk. The words wouldn't come even as he clutched the dead child to his chest. His eyes fell on Vash. Aqua eyes looked up at him from the dirt and the sorrow and fear that radiated from him finally freed Jeremy from the trance. One foot backwards, and Jeremy said to the children, "RUN!" The moment had unfrozen and they broke away and into the desert. Vash could feel his heart going with them. He had almost found home, hadn't he? A place where people had accepted him, at least for a moment? They would make a home for themselves and eventually forget everything that had happened... But Vash would never be a part of it. "You ruined everything, Knives."  
"They ruined everything when they killed Tessla." He grabbed the front of Vash's space suit and pulled him to his feet. "They started this Vash, and I'll end it. We'll start over without them. We'll make a paradise for the two of us!"  
Vash pushed Knives away from him, not being able to stand the smell of his brother's blood. "Do you really have a taste for blood now? You're as bad as the ones who killed Tessla! She wouldn't have wanted this!"  
"Blood for blood, Vash," Knives said as he set a hand on his face. He turned, laughing, walking back to look down at where the boy had fallen. "Look at it, Vash! It was so easy..."  
Vash stood behind him, fists balled up in white fury. It would be easy, wouldn't it? He could push Knives off the cliff just as he had the little boy and it would all be over. Vash could find someone to accept him; he could live like a human and no one would ever bother him again. But as he thought these things, he realized he couldn't. He didn't want to see blood again... He had already seen so much. Rem wanted him to live. She wanted both of them to live. Rem... It's wrong to kill, right Rem? I can't take his life, can I? Even though he killed all of those people... And you.  
"Can't do it, can you, Vash?" Knives laughed, turning. "You're weak."  
"Rem wanted us to live. She wanted us to find a new home..." Vash bowed his head. The truth was, the only feelings of home he had left were with his brother. Home... Tears came to his eyes. If something happened to Knives... He would never find a place he could call home. Never. His brother was all he had left now that Rem was gone... He sunk to his knees, tears falling down his cheeks. His friends were gone now too. Vash knew he'd never see Helen or the others again. Finally, he said. "Let's go, Knives. I don't want to be here any longer."  
Knives nodded. He walked down the cliffs pass Vash. "The plant ship is west of here." He pointed towards the smaller sun. "It's that way."  
Vash took a deep breath and forced himself to his feet to follow his brother. If he couldn't change his Knives, then at least he'd stay by him... No one else would die... Vash took one look towards the ship, and wiped the tears from his face. "Rem, I'm so sorry..." Helen and the other children would never understand. He knew for their safety he could never come back again. He wouldn't let Knives kill again... Rem help me, I don't think we'll ever find home. 


	7. Epilogue

Final Edit. Spoilers possible... Set around Trigun Maximum #6 after the chapter "Double Team". Thanks to everyone for reading! Stay tuned for Part 3 of 3 in the "Feathers and Gunsmoke Trilogy"!  
  
Epilogue  
  
Vash stopped walking as he crested the hill. Meryl, Milly and Wolfwood came to stand beside him as he looked down into the valley before them. He knew this valley somehow... It had slipped his mind as so many other memories had after the July City incident. Now, as he looked at the remaining pieces of a broken ship surrounding two perfectly intact plants and the city that had now grown up around it, he remembered everything. A shiver went down his spine.  
"Oh my! Will you look at that?" Aqua eyes turned to the insurance girl that stood at his side. Milly clasped her hands in front of her and then looked down at Meryl. "Can you believe it, Meryl? It's the town where I grew up!" The tall insurance girl giggled and pointed towards the town. "There's the plant, and there, there's my house!"  
"I didn't know we were near New Orlando," Meryl said as she turned to look up at Vash before fishing in her bag for a map. "That must mean we've gotten lost... Mr. Vash, do you suppose we can stop here for the night? I'm sure Milly's family would be willing to have us for the night." She opened the map and stuck her nose into, undoubtedly trying to figure out where they had made a wrong turn.  
Milly bounced on her toes, grabbing Vash's arm and then Wolfwood's. "Please? Mr. Vash? Mr. Priest?"  
Wolfwood took his cigarette out of his mouth as the tall girl's jumping jarred him. "I'd say we probably should stop, Needlenoggin."  
A frown furrowed Vash's brows behind his sunglasses. So many years had passed now. Everyone he had known was dead. All of the past had been forgotten... Except he had not forgotten, he promised himself he never would. If his memory had not been lost after July City... Vash promised not to forget again.  
He looked over at Milly, Meryl and Wolfwood. They knew what he was now. Even Meryl... She had been within the fray, in danger, but here she was, still beside him, still following him. They had all been in danger and had made it out alive. They had seen him at his worse moments as his plant side took over and enveloped him. But they accepted him.  
Vash looked back at the town, "I suppose we can stop for the night."  
Milly jumped up and down, "Yay!" She grabbed Meryl who suddenly found her map ripped away from her and shoved in her bag unfolded.  
"Milly... The map, it's the only one I have..." She tried to pull it out to fix it but found Milly pulling her down the hill. "Milly...." Her voice trailed off. "Milly Thompson, you slow down this instant... I know it's been over a year since you were home but..."  
"Mom will make her famous pudding!" Milly exclaimed as their voices faded into the distance. "She got the recipe from my great great great great grandmother Helen..."  
Wolfwood looked over at Vash, putting the cigarette back into his mouth. "Are you okay?"  
Vash smiled, knowing that it wouldn't fool his friend, but he couldn't help it. The smile came to his face unasked now. "I'm fine. This place just stirred up some memories I thought I'd forgotten."  
"Must have been quite a memory."  
The gunman nodded, "Yes, it was." Vash looked at Wolfwood and pulled his bag off his shoulder. His attention turned to the city's graveyard in the distance. "I have a promise to keep." He said, setting the bag on the ground. "You go ahead. I'll stay here for the night."  
Wolfwood looked at him under dark brows. With a sigh he shook his head, knowing that he didn't want to argue with his friend. "Well, I have no such promise, and pudding awaits." He smiled darkly and with his cross punisher securely on his back he followed after the insurance girls.  
Vash watched after them. At least he had fulfilled one promise. Helen had made a new home, hadn't she? He snorted; trying not to laugh at himself. He hadn't even noticed that one of her children had been following him all this time. Vash closed his eyes, No wonder I keep the Insurance girls around. At least until I find Knives... He nodded. And then I'll find us a home just like Helen did. 


End file.
